Fiido T3 review – mid-motor e-cargo bike boasts an incredibly low price but needs more carrying accessories

The Fiido T3 is an electric cargo bike with a big mid-drive motor and a very big battery. Despite that extremely competitive looking price, it is actually the direct-to-consumer brand’s second most expensive e-bike, beaten into second place only by the T3 Max, a version capable of carrying an even bigger payload.

At first glance, the T3 looks very similar to many other longtail designs with an extended rear to its extremely strong-looking frame, plus chunky 20in tyres and front suspension.

What may jump out at you as different though is that huge capacity battery behind the seat post. It has a massive 972Wh capacity and its long and high proportions mean it actually takes up space that could be used for the load bed.

This immediate negative observation aside, the good news is that the T3 offers an awful lot of bike for the money. Not only do you get that massive and pretty easily removable battery pack, you also get a 100Nm rated mid-drive from the highly regarded motor manufacturer Mivice, four-piston hydraulic disc brakes on 200mm rotors, low ratio derailleur gears, mudguards, hardwired lights and a kickstand.

Let’s jump into the spec a bit more to explore exactly what you get for that bargain looking price.

Fiido T3: Frame and motor system

The frame itself looks well made with well integrated cabling passing through it, resulting in a nice clean look.

As with most of these frame designs, it is a one size step-through model, intended for as wide a market as possible. Fiido says it should be suitable for riders between 5ft 1in and 6ft 7in. Even though the handlebar and seat are height adjustable, this might be pushing it a bit. Still, it should be suitable for the majority of potential riders.

Weight is claimed to be 33kg, but on my scales it was 33.8kg. If you need to lift it, it can be lightened considerably by removing the 6.2kg battery, but whatever way you look at it, it’s a hefty e-bike – though no more or less than you might expect from the design. Comparable models, such as the Engwe LE20, are in many cases a fair bit heavier.

The motor system intrigued me most. I’ve ridden quite a few e-bikes with the lovely, light and responsive Mivice rear hub motor, and even a front hub variation on the Ahooga E-Max Alfine. Overall, I’ve been very impressed, so I was quite surprised to see a beast of a mid-drive on the T3, rated at 100Nm torque, as this is the polar opposite of the style of motor the manufacturer is known for.

It has its quirks, as we will see in the next section, but overall it looks a good choice for a load hauler. Mivice also supplies the torque sensing as well as a small but nicely colourful TFT display that combines with the power buttons.

Fiido T3: Gearing, brakes and tyres

Elsewhere, the spec is pretty conventional and looks very suited to the heavy load hauling you’d expect the T3 to take on. I immediately picked up on the chunky 2.4in wide CST Camion Almighty tyres which looked just what you’d want on a load hauler, especially as CST says they feature ‘state-of-the-art puncture-resistant technology with ultra-strong sidewalls to support substantial weight’. They certainly look tough and durable.

These combine with a 70mm travel steel sprung front suspension unit and funky Moustache-style angled-back handlebars, all of which makes for a comfier ride.

I was also pleased to see the spec of gearing and braking very much aligned with the load carrying purpose of the bike. The very sturdy looking 9-speed derailleur gearing has nice low ratios for climbing steep hills with heavy loads, albeit from little-known brand Stride. Similarly, the brakes are from the little known (in the UK at least) Karasawa, but promise plenty of stopping power thanks to four piston hydraulic technology.

There are a couple of nice ‘extras’ too in the form of a full length chainguard and a front key operated wheel lock.

There are clearly some cost saving aspects to the spec, such as the lesser known brands for the derailleur and brakes, and as is often the case with direct to consumer brands, you will need to assemble some of the bike yourself.

In this case, that amounts to slotting in the height adjustable handlebars, putting in the front wheel (impressively, a thru-axle design like the rear), adding the front mudguard, then finally the saddle and pedals – not too onerous as these things go.

Fiido T3: Digital features

There is a near field communication (NFC) key, which I found I needed to use after charging or removing the battery but, according to Fiido, you can also unlock the bike via Bluetooth through the Fiido app on your phone. I guess this theoretically offers a bit of extra security, but personally I’m happy with safe parking practices and a heavy duty lock.

I didn’t actually get around to looking at the app as it appears to offer much the same as other basic apps, which I don’t find that useful. But if you find viewing ride data, linking with map/navigation apps installed on your phone and making ‘fine adjustments’ to the bike’s power settings appealing, then it may be for you.

Fiido T3: Cargo capability

The payload for which the bike is rated is an impressive sounding 150kg – but that refers to rider and cargo, with up to 100kg for the rider and up to 50kg for cargo.

Whilst there are plenty of e-cargo models out there with bigger ratings, they can often be ambitious and I wouldn’t want to load much more than this onto an e-bike frame without risking some handling instability. I’ll talk more about the load carrying efficacy of the T3 in the testing section.

Whilst 50kg is a lot to carry on any design of e-bike, Fiido doesn’t supply you with any kit to help you do the job, which is a big disappointment.

They do say several brands of child seat should fit, but there aren’t any longtail style panniers on offer and beyond that Fiido says only that, “Dedicated accessories such as protective rails and guards (for kiddy carrying) are currently in development and will be introduced gradually.”

For now, this is a weakness. Brands like Tern and Estarli realise accessorising your e-cargo bike is a vital part of its functionality, not an afterthought.

Fiido T3: Battery

On a closer reading of the spec of the T3 it appears that Fiido can supply an inverter that plugs straight into a dedicated output socket on the 972Wh battery. As far as I know, this is a USP for an e-bike, but Fiido seems strangely coy about highlighting the bike’s ability to provide mains power (despite the fact it could prove useful on longer off-grid days out).

It instead recommends the T3’s bigger brother, the T3 Max, for use with the inverter system. This offers 1,620Wh capacity if you go for a dual battery setup and it also features a dedicated carrying space for the inverter itself.

There is also a USB-C charging port on the battery and that did a good job of fast charging my mobile, though it failed to power up a small business laptop. The port is rather exposed to the elements though, on the top of the battery.

In short, the spec promises very effective load hauling and good range, but currently Fiido leaves the purchaser to come up with their own means of carrying people or things and also undersells the many possible uses of an e-bike battery that can supply mains power.

Fiido T3: Riding, hauling and range

As noted, the heart of the drive system is a Mivice motor (the X700, to be precise) and it performed very well in its role as a load hauler.

There are a couple of caveats to this. Like the premium-priced Tarran L1s I took a look at recently, it doesn’t feel as peppy as a full power Bosch motor on the flat and (unlike the Tarran) there is a lag in motor power when changing gear.

Crucially, there was plenty of low speed torque for taking heavy loads up hills and that’s what counts with an e-cargo bike.

I’m assuming the lag whilst changing gear is intended to minimise wear on the drivetrain and this is something other systems do, though in a rather more subtle way. The issue I had with the Mivice system is that it feels like a very long lag with no power at all and when you’re heading up an incline with a loaded bike, you will lose momentum on changing gear.

Still, there’s a practical benefit if it’s aimed at extending the lifespan of the drivetrain and presumably a software tweak could make it less jarring.

I did a couple of ultra steep hill climb tests to really put the bike through its paces with loads of between 30kg and 40kg. Like the aforementioned Tarran, it’s slow up mega gradients, but it does get you and a heavy load up an otherwise formidable hill easily and without drama.

For my first test, the load was in a rack top box, whilst the second load was carried in a set of Decathlon longtail panniers that I happen to have. The latter climb felt much more balanced, reinforcing standard advice for carrying loads on bikes, which is to keep the weight as low down (and central) as possible.

Other aspects of the Mivice electronic system were impressive. The battery percentage gauge is clearly visible and accurate. It showed 50% left after a 32-mile ride over moderately hilly terrain with only a light load.

It would be easy to eat into the capacity much more quickly if the bike were loaded up and taking on very serious hills. So although the 972Wh battery is big for my intended uses, it’s certainly not overly so.

The combined display and button control unit gives you all the basics you need in one place and is up there with the best Bosch can offer in terms of ergonomic design – though I would have liked to have seen a clock and a power meter on it. It doesn’t overface you with metrics, as I feel some other systems do though.

Elsewhere, gearing was easy to use, if a little clunky, but importantly the ratios are nice and low to get you and whatever you have on board up the steepest of hills. They don’t provide much pedal power above 15mph, but you don’t need that on a bike like this.

The brakes were adequate, if lacking the smooth modulation of pricier systems and the hardwired lighting powerful and effective even on unlit roads.

Overall, it’s a comfortable and stable ride that many people will be able to get on with and if you put even heavier loads on carefully and keep them low, it remains so. For the money, it’s a very effective load hauling package in terms of e-bike performance but…

Why no accessories?

Notably, Fiido offers no rear carrying accessories and even the front rack, for which there are mounting points on the headset, was a few months away from being available.

I feel it’s a bike crying out to be sold with the options of large panniers, bench seats, attachable child seats, foot rails and all the rest of the carrying paraphernalia that Tern has pioneered.

Hopefully Fiido will be good to its promise of introducing such things over the coming weeks and months and I’ll have to eat my words. Okay, these would all add to the cost, but bespoke carrying solutions would make it so much easier to use the bike for its intended purpose.

Similarly, I found the lack of a centre kickstand made the bike very awkward to use with my big Decathlon panniers. The provided side stand got hidden behind them and, even more impractically, it gave a fully loaded bike the potential to topple over.

Having said all that, it sounds relatively straightforward to fit a single child seat. Fiido recommends a width of around 17–20cm and names brands such as Bobike, Thule and OGK.

Fiido also says, “the T3’s rear rack is 158mm wide, with a 16mm tube diameter, so it meets the installation requirements of the MIK Adapter Plate 2.0” – this is good news, as it should open up all sorts of carrying possibilities.

I managed okay with my large capacity panniers, though these were fiddly to get on and off as I used quick release cable ties and with heavy loads, they could have done with more support underneath.

I also noted that the T3 is rated to pull 50kg on a trailer, which would make it a behemoth of a load hauler. Whilst Fiido sells a range of trailers, you will need to check it can supply or recommend a suitable mounting hitch for the rear thru-axle used on the T3.

If you are happy seeking out or improvising your own carrying accessories then the T3 is an impressive load hauler at a very competitive price.

The competition

The T3 Max is the T3’s big brother with a bigger battery option, a bigger payload rating and a centre kickstand, while the T2 is its fat-tyred, hub-motored ‘smaller’ brother. They are priced at £2,090 and £1,635 respectively. (The latter was actually discounted to £1,454 at the time of writing.)

The £1,727 price tag on the T3 is undoubtedly a strong selling point and most other longtail options near this price employ hub motors which would have to be remarkable performers to get close to the loaded climbing ability of the T3.

Engwe’s LE20 is undoubtedly a strong competitor, though it seems to be unavailable at present, while UK newcomer Aventon offers the very strong looking Abound for ‘preorder’, though we haven’t yet tested that.

Elsewhere, we really loved Estarli’s longtail with its powerful mid-drive, roomy rear load area and plentiful carrying options. Against this new breed of direct-to-consumer models, it is perhaps starting to look a little pricey, though do remember you get more peace of mind due to UK-based assembly and backup, including a dealer network the direct to customer merchants don’t offer.

It was only last summer that we were asking if you could get a good quality e-cargo bike for under £3,000 and the new boys on the block are clearly looking to push prices down towards £2,000. The Fiido T3 is a capable and welcome addition to the increasingly crowded field of value for money yet high performance e-cargo bikes.